Why the Blessing?

This morning I did a thing. Now you can’t do this if you’re new to spending time with the Lord. Okay? You WILL fall asleep. How do I know, because it still happens to me. LOL! But today, I prayed in the bed AND in the prayer closet. But it was mostly in the bed. I actually spent time just being cozy with Holy Spirit. I was thinking about how He has blessed me. I was also thinking about the blessings to come.

When I went into the prayer closet this morning and opened my Bible randomly to Luke, I was excited to see what the Holy Spirit would show me today! I keep having these expectations that this week, there will be a theme in our conversations. And today, like always, He met me right where I was.

I opened my Bible to Luke 5. The first thing I noticed was what was already highlighted, which was verse 5.

“Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.” Luke 5:5 CEB.

Now I knew I had already got many messages from the Holy Spirit from this verse because it was already highlighted. Basically the message is, if it didn’t work the last time you did it, it was because Jesus wasn’t in it. But this time Jesus was IN YOUR BOAT OF LIFE and it worked and you got blessed.

Good message right? That was for somebody! I mean I got it AGAIN too. But today, the Holy Spirit wanted me to see something else in this story about THE FIRST DISCIPLES. (Now I want to say something parenthetically to show how God be confirming. The new house that I am in faith for, is on a street called Disciple!!!) Eeeek! Glory to God!

Okay back to the story about Simon. So Jesus is trying to teach and the crowds are pressing in on Him. He like, I got to do something different so that I can get this word out!

So Jesus gets on Simon’s boat. I noticed a few things. He didn’t even ask Simon to get on his boat. Message: God don’t have to ask you to get on your boat. He on there!

But what Jesus DID ask Simon to do AFTER He got in his boat was to push out from the land a little bit. What I noticed is that it didn’t say Simon obeyed. We just see that he did because the boat started moving enough for Jesus to sit down and teach the crowds from the boat. When Jesus finished speaking, He told Simon to gone out into the deep and let down your net for a catch. That’s when Simon was like, but we did that already and didn’t catch nothing.

Now I know, you’re like I already know how this story ends. Yup you do, and so did I. But CATCH this revelation.

Jesus blessed Simon and his buddies with more fish than they could handle! The blessing was so huge that Simon fell to his knees because he knew he didn’t deserve such a huge blessing. He even said, Jesus go away from me, because I am a sinful man.

Many of us are like that too. We are like, how can you bless me Lord after all the sin I have done? Why would you bless me in such a big way like this Lord? Why the blessing?

In Luke 5:10, Jesus said to Simon: “Don’t be afraid, from now on, you will be catching people.

8-10 Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, coworkers with Simon.
10-11 Jesus said to Simon, “There is nothing to fear. From now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.” They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him. Luke 5:8-11 MSG

That’s when I heard the Holy Spirit tell me: As long as I AM with you Fon, your catches will always amaze you and everyone around you!

Hallelujah!!!

In the study notes of my Tony Evans Study Bible, Dr. Evans made a solid point that I want to share. He said, if we will obey God in faith, then our vision of Him, and experience of blessings from Him will grow!

And here’s the major revelation that Holy Spirit wanted to show me as I re-read this story. Jesus had blessed Simon, opened his eyes to his sinful condition and need for God, so that Simon could extend that blessing to others.

Dr. Evans said regardless of the blessing that God brings into your life, whether they be physical, spiritual, financial, or relational - they are not meant for YOUR benefit and enjoyment ALONE! We are blessed to be a blessing.

See when God blesses us, it allows us to see Him for who He really is. And when we see Him for WHO HE IS, we realize even more how sinful we have been. His holiness exposes our sinfulness. Simon saw Jesus for WHO He really was, and that made him see himself for who he really was. But all this happened because of the blessing.

Why the blessing? So we can SEE GOD FOR WHO HE REALLY IS. SO WE CAN SEE OURSELVES and OUR NEED FOR GOD. SO THAT WE CAN EXTEND THAT BLESSING TO OTHERS SO THEY TOO CAN SEE GOD (yes I had to do this in all CAPS).

Simon and all they others left everything and followed Jesus. Why would we not leave everything and follow Jesus? I mean when you recognize Him for WHO HE IS and how you need Him, then wouldn’t you drop everything too?

If He can get on your boat of life and give you something so amazing that you never thought you could get, especially knowing you don’t even deserve it, then why would you not drop everything and follow Him?

When God blesses me with something so big and amazing, it’s going to CATCH PEOPLE’S attention!!! When they see me fall on my knees and give the Lord all the praise (because I really don’t deserve this big and amazing blessing that I don’t have room enough to contain), it’s going to cause those around me to be amazed at the blessing and allow them to partake of the blessing as well!!